Mobile devices—meaning portable electronic devices that are capable of wireless communication (e.g., cell phones, smart phones)—are widely used for a variety of digital and voice communication, and other purposes. Today's mobile devices enable, among other things, email, text messaging, instant messaging, Internet browsing and (still) phone conversation. In addition, mobile devices may be used to remotely control objects. For example, mobile devices may run applications that allow these devices to wirelessly control a home entertainment or lighting system. Such remote control may, for example, be by means of direct wireless control of an object (e.g., Bluetooth), meaning direct electromagnetic communication between the mobile device and the controlled object (such as is the case with today's television remote controls). This may occur by means of any of a variety of wireless protocols.
Some of the challenges faced by today's remote controls, including those implemented on mobile devices, relate to 1) the difficulties posed to a user to synchronize or otherwise set up a remote control so that it will communicate with a particular object that the user desires to control, 2) the need for a user to have multiple different remote controls for multiple different objects that a user desires to control, 3) difficulties updating remote control user interfaces, if even possible, and 4) a general lack of real-time feedback to the user relating to the object being remotely controlled.
There exists a need for improved methods, devices and systems that allow a user to use a mobile device, such as a common smart phone or similar electronic communication device, to readily “synchronize” the mobile device with one or more remotely controllable objects, and to enable the presentation and use of one or more relevant remote control user interfaces so that a user can efficiently and effectively remotely control one or more remotely controllable objects, possibly including real-time feedback.